Praying Mantis
by Miss Madd
Summary: Shino reflects on Naruto Uzumaki… but soon realizes his original hypothesis on the blonde may not have been as accurate as he once believed… ShounenAi, onesided ShinoNaru, others mentioned. Oneshot


_**Praying Mantis**_

_**By: Madd Envy Freak**_

_**Summary: Shino reflects on Naruto Uzumaki… but soon realizes his original hypothesis on the blonde may not have been as accurate as he once believed… Shounen-Ai, onesided ShinoNaru, others mentioned**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor am I making any money off of this.**_

_**---**_

_Naruto Uzumaki is a praying mantis._

_He uses his camouflage of bright smiles and kind words to worm his way into the hearts of his victims, setting his snare there and waiting until the perfect moment to hurt them, by forgetting them, and ripping out their innards and feasting on their depression and pain. And, like the praying mantis, after luring his prey and would-be mate into a state of false-contentment, he would devour their head and leave their body to rot in the dirt._

_Yes, Naruto Uzumaki was like a praying mantis. He made me fall in love with him, and then, like the mantis, he devoured me. Except, unlike the mantis, he targeted my heart._

_---_

"Man, Shino, what's wrong with you!?" Kiba groaned, sprawling out on the grass, glancing up at his silent, male teammate.

"Uzumaki returned."

"Yeah, little brat! Heh heh, he got taller though, I'll give him that!" (a/n: HAHA! I rhymed! WOOT!)

Shino scowled darkly to himself and turned around, the pain in his eyes hidden by his dark glasses. Of course **Kiba** would be happy. Naruto **remembered** him… His fists clenched as he walked away from his laughing friend.

When the Bikochu had began fluttering about its cage all those months ago (_had it truly been that long?_ Shino mused silently), he had gone to see the blond, subtly, of course.

It was ironic, in a way… perhaps this was his punishment? He had been the only one unable to assist the blond, and now he was the only one the blond did not recognize… he was the only one who didn't share the bond… and he was the only who would ever lament over that fact.

Asides from Hinata and Neji, perhaps, but he supposed that the Hyuuga was a mentally ill family; considering they both had freakishly huge crushes on the blond (and were not about to hide the fact). Not that the blond would notice; he seemed to be just as naïve as he had been at thirteen.

He wondered vaguely how many hearts the praying mantis had to devour before it was full.

---

Currently the blond was busy training with his new teammate (after another failed attempt to bring Sasuke back), the strange boy named Sai. It amused Shino, to a slight extent, that another heart was added to the long list of victims of one Naruto Uzumaki.

He had talked to Sai on one occasion, and the black haired boy had been a little… strange. Even by his standards. Sai was like a carbon copy of the Uchiha, a perfect replacement… and yet…

'_He doesn't see Sasuke Uchiha, he sees Sai. There is no replacement for his former teammate, that is why it is ok to be like this… because I know I will never be a replacement. Baby Dick recognizes us all individually. For that I am grateful.'_

---

"Hey, Shino."

Shino looked up from studying the small black insect on his finger and looked over towards Kiba as the dog lover ran towards him. Silently, he waited for the brunet to continue.

"Naruto is getting released from the hospital, we're all going to go see him! You coming?"

Deep down, Shino really wanted to say, 'no.' To turn his back on the blond for good, to never look at him again. To rip out his heart and force feed it to him. To crush the blond like he had crushed so many others.

He nodded and followed Kiba anyway.

---

He had never realized that Naruto himself was heartless. It wasn't until he was leaving the party later that night after the blond was released from the hospital, after yet another failed attempt to bring Sasuke back, that he finally saw the blond's true colors.

"Why do you do it, Naruto?"

It was by accident, really. He had let himself back into the blond's apartment to fetch Kiba's jacket since the man was too wasted to fetch it himself, and it had simply slipped out.

"Do what, bug man?"

"…Never mind."

The subject was dropped, and Shino turned to leave, no longer wishing to be in the presence of the killer.

"You know, Shino, I always thought having the village hate me was the worst pain I could ever feel… I had no drive back then, I just wanted people to recognize me… but… it's weird, you know? No one thought I was up to their level, that I was good enough to compete with…"

"No one but Uchiha."

"Yeah! Sasuke and I had so much fun competing against each other when we were younger. It kind of made me mad, though, that no matter what he did, everyone always loved him. He was naturally strong, and I had to work my ass off to get even close to his level… That's why I have to bring him back… even if it kills me in the end…"

"…"

Naruto's last sentence was so faint Shino could barely hear it, and yet, it seemed to reverberate throughout the entire apartment.

"…I'm the one who chased him away…"

Shino had always thought Naruto Uzumaki to be a Praying Mantis. A cruel, pain bringing insect that lived to devour the hearts of those who loved it. And yet… after hearing the heartless, toneless, _dead_ words coming from the Mantis's mouth, he knew.

Naruto wasn't a Praying Mantis.

Sasuke Uchiha was.

And Naruto Uzumaki was his own personal prey to play with and taunt.

Fists clenched that night as he left the small apartment, and he suddenly understood why Sai said it was ok. Why it didn't hurt _not_ to be loved as much as Sasuke was… Because one day, when that damned bug wasn't looking, he would find himself being exterminated.

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The End. Just a little one-shot I thought up…


End file.
